i was always set to self-destruct though [harper]

[Deleted]

dear harper,

My brother told me that I should write you. Actually, he threatened not to give me the key to our new house if I didn't write you. I don't know how he'd know that I wrote you or not, but I'm going by the honor code. So here I am, writing you. I guess Aaron probably expected me to apologize to you...so I'm sorry for our argument. I overreacted and twisted your words to fit the argument I wanted to have. Sorry.

jamie

@harper

[Deleted]

Jamie,

That's a pretty smart brother you have there. I've been hoping you would write. I wanted to, but I didn't know what to say. I'm sorry for arguing too. I never meant to insinuate that Cedric wasn't a true champion or that Hufflepuff didn't deserve just as much glory as Gryffindor. It just...that was my uncle, you know, and he was just a kid when it all happened. He never wanted it to happen. You should hear the way he talks about it whenever it comes up. Cedric was a true champion, and he died with honor.

Enough about that. I want to fix things. I miss you, and I don't like fighting with you. Can we make this right? Please?

Harper

[Deleted]

dear harper,

Honestly, Aaron is the smartest of the Greyback children. That probably has something to do with the fact that he's the oldest, but probably also because he's a bartender, so his livelihood is getting people to talk to him so he can get tips. I'm lucky that I have him, just like that I'm lucky that I have you. I shouldn't have said all of those things about your uncle. The Triwizard Tournament is terrifying enough without being thrust into it against your will. I'm sure that he's a good person and that he wasn't trying to seek glory - like you said, there are some people that are just born to be heroes. He's one of them.

I miss you too, Harper, and I don't like fighting, either. I've been fighting so much with everyone, and it's so tiring. I'll do anything you ask to make things right again with you. I don't want everything we went through to be for nothing just because of a few words on parchment. I love you. I always have, and I always will.

yours,
jamie

@harper

[Deleted]

Jamie,

Just promise me we won't fight over something so trivial again. And if we do have to fight, let's let it be in person so we can at least kiss and make up afterward. Emphasis on the kissing. And maybe it's best not to talk about the tournament until after you win. I know you wrote to me just to get your key, but I'm really glad you did. I'd love to come spend a weekend with you and your brother, if you'd have me. I love you, too, Jamie. More than you'll ever know.

With all my love,
Harper

P.S. Looks like I'm going to need that schedule again.

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear harper,

I can't promise we'll never fight over something trivial again, because I know me and I know you, but I promise it won't almost be the end of our relationship and I promise I'll always try to apologize. As for kissing and making up, I am all for finding more reasons to kiss you, so can I take a rain check for the next Hogsmeade visit? It's October 14th. The champions are going to be announced at the Halloween feast, I think, so I'll send you a letter after dinner finishes, regardless of whether or not I get chosen.

I didn't just write you to get the key - it's been bothering me for a while and I just needed a kick in the butt to swallow my own pride and send a letter. I'm sure Aaron would love to have you, but he told me that I'm not allowed to have any parties, so I'm not sure how much fun you'd have. I attached the Hogsmeade schedule, but I hope we can continue to talk by owl until then. Miss you. Love you.

xoxo,
jamie

@harper

[Deleted]

Jamie,

Have I mentioned how much I love getting your letters? Every time I see Hoppy fly in through my window, I get a little giddy. I wish I could see you sooner. Maybe I can bully my way down a little early. Official Ministry business for the tournament and all that jazz. I'm pretty friendly with some of the aurors, so maybe they'll look the other way. Or maybe I'll become an Animagus and turn into a flying cockroach or something and sneak my way in. Can you imagine me not talking for a whole month? I think I would die.

Maybe if you're really nice - and flash those puppy dog eyes a few times (see what I did there?) - then he'll let me come over, at least for a little bit. I think I owe him a big thank you. Kegan, too. Xe's a person I work with at the Ministry. I wonder if they know they've been playing matchmaker. Maybe they planned this out. Anyway, it's getting late, and I still have a ton of paperwork to file. Ever since April, the office has been crazy busy. Every idiot in London with a wand is trying to turn muggle objects into death traps. We just had an issue today with some automobiles trying to buck their drivers out of their seats. The cleanup on it was a mess. They're still looking for the person behind it, but it's so hard to find them all.

Be safe. I know Hogwarts is probably the safest place you can be right now, but even that's not entirely reassuring anymore. I know you can handle yourself, but I worry. I feel like I'm too far away to help if something goes wrong. Make friends with the aurors; they're your best defense if anything happens like it did last year. I love you, and I can't wait to see you again.

Love,
Harper

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear harper,

You haven’t mentioned it before, I don’t think, but the feeling is mutual. Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in homework, so it’s nice to have at least one paper on the table that I don’t dread reading, or writing, for that matter. I thought that last year was bad with homework, but this year is absolutely killer. I don’t know why I’m trying so hard, since I want to go into professional Quidditch. Guess it’s because I want to prove that I’m more than just a pretty face or a jock or something.

I’m sure that you could definitely pull the Ministry business card – there are enough strangers around here that no one would bat an eye. To be honest, I wonder if having more people here is actually making us less safe. There are so many Aurors that it’s impossible for one person to recognize them all. If I passed a strange man in the hallway, I would assume he was an Auror, even if he was a kidnapper or a murderer or something. As for you not speaking for a month – don’t make me laugh. I love you, but not for your quiet or demure ways.

Eh, Aaron’s a pushover when it comes to me. I’m pretty sure I’m his favorite sister, and he probably would let you come over if only to threaten you with certain death if you break my heart. He’s a pushover, but a big, scary, Brazilian pushover, with some pretty wicked facial scars.

I’m sorry that there’s so much work to be done – like I said, I know the feeling. Sorry about the automobile thing, but I'm sure you'll find the perpetrator soon. As for making friends with the Aurors, a lot of them are trainees who graduates a year or two ago, so they already have friends at the school. They don’t need any more. And since I’m so busy, I don’t think I’m in any position to be adding any new relationships into the balancing act. I’ve got you, and my Quidditch friends, and my housemates, and my family, and that’s more than enough for me. Write back soon!

xoxo,
jamie

@harper

[Deleted]

Jamie,

We finally caught the guy hexing cars. What a lowlife. The idiot managed to get himself trapped in the trunk of one of his own cars. He was stuck there for at least a day before he was found. He got arrested, of course, but I don't know if they'll send him to Azkaban or anything. I just don't see why people are so hard up to hurt muggles. They're such innocent, harmless creatures, and they make the most fascinating things.

I don't know how I feel about that many strangers being at Hogwarts. I know the Aurors will do their best to keep everyone safe, but still. Maybe this just wasn't a good time to host the Triwizard Tournament. There's still too much tension in the air. Sure, it's quieted down a little bit over the summer, but this tournament is just what someone needs as a distraction for the wizarding community. That many young adults in one place...you know what? I'm changing the subject.

Keep up with your homework. Aspire to achieve, but remember that professional anything, especially Quidditch, is a competitive field. I know you have the skills to do it, but it doesn't hurt to have a backup plan. Look at me. I'm supposed to be traveling the world saving all the muggles. And here I am, sitting in an office writing this letter. Always have a plan B.

Love,
Harper

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear harper,

I’m glad that you found the guy behind everything! He does seem like a real…a professor is walking by, otherwise I would write the word. Just substitute with the worst curse you know, and that’s probably what I was thinking of writing. Gentle correction: Muggles aren’t creatures. An owl is a creature. A cat is a creature. A Muggle is just a wizard without magic. You wouldn’t call a Squib a creature, would you? Hell, I’m more of a creature than your average Muggle is!

I agree that it wasn’t the best time to host the tournament, but I think that they’re trying to make everyone feel better by insisting that things go on as normal. Nothing that bad can be happening if people are volunteering for something this dangerous, right? I don’t know how many of the foreign students realize what’s going on, but I do think that some of them have picked up on the tension you wrote of. Man, I wonder what it would be like to thrown head-first into the circus.

Most of the people who would have been professional Quidditch players in my year are all becoming Aurors, it seems like. There’s not as much competition as there probably should be. Oh well – I’m sure I’ll get all the competition I need after graduation. I already have a Plan B. I’ve accepted my furry little problem more, but it would still be nice if I could use my talent in Potions to improve Wolfsbane. I’m sure there’s an apothecary somewhere who would love to have me, if only for the positive press. Hope things are going well with you.

love always,
jamie

@harper

[Deleted]

Jamie,

You're right. Muggles aren't creatures. I meant no offense by it. They're just so...primitive about some things, it's sometimes a little too easy to call them that. Sometimes I wish I was a Muggle. But I also can't imagine living without magic. I did discover what Muggles call a cell phone the other day. It was hexed, of course, but I fixed it up and may or may not have kept it for myself. The head of the department wanted me to just throw it away so I'm sure he wouldn't mind. It's so amusing. I found this game called Angry Birds. It's so much fun!

Sometimes making people feel better isn't always the best option. A harsh truth is always better than a comforting lie. People need to be aware. I'll let you in on a secret. None of the people involved in the kidnappings were caught. Not a single one. So they're all still out there, doing Merlin knows what. I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I want you on high alert. Things are not as safe as they appear, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you when you're so far away.

You know, there was a girl in my year who was brilliant at Potions. She was a Ravenclaw. I think her name was Adelaide? She was Abby Shacklebolt's sister. I didn't know her very well, but she was killer with a cauldron. If Quidditch doensn't work out, you could probably get in touch with her. It's important to start making connections early. I should know. There's no way I would have gotten a Ministry position if it wasn't for Victoire.

As always, keep up with your schoolwork, practice daily, wash behind your ears, and blah blah blah. I love you. <3

Love,
Harper

@jamie

[Deleted]

dear harper,

From a Muggle perspective, wizards are primitive in some things, too. We eat our meals with wax candles above our heads – Muggles had an alternative to candles over two hundred years ago. It’s all a matter of perspective, of what you can and can’t live without. Muggles don’t even know that they’re missing anything – they dream about magic, sure, but to them it’s just another fairy tale. Just like you can’t imagine a life without magic, they can’t imagine a life with it. The same glamour that makes it appealing also makes it unappealing, because it would separate them from the people they love. I mean, magic is part of what ripped me and my mother apart. Sorry for the mini-lecture. I just have a lot of things to say about magic and Muggles. I’m glad that you’re enjoying Angry Birds, though – it’s kind of a vintage game now, I’d say. It came out when I was in grade school.

I agree whole-heartedly that a harsh truth is better. In the end, they only make you stronger. Again, I have to point to my relationship with my mother to support that. It’s scary that none of the kidnappers were caught. I’ll be sure to be on high alert, but I think that my last name might be a little bit of a deterrent, hopefully. No one wants to make daddy dearest mad, and they’d probably never have a clue that I’ve never met the man.

I think I remember the name, but I don’t think I’ve ever spoken with her. One of the girls in my house and my year, Sophia, is also considering going into Potions, so I might talk to her some. I’m leaning more towards Quidditch at the moment, though, if only because it’ll give me a large income and the chance to get myself out of Aaron’s hair. I know that he loves having me around, but if he gets a girlfriend or boyfriend or something, they’re probably not going to appreciate having Aaron’s annoying little sister around.

Schoolwork: check. Practice: check. Ears: double check. I love you too, Harper.

xoxo,
jamie

@harper